Patient Sarah Witter, 62, visited Rutland (Vt.) Regional Medical Center after breaking her leg on a ski trail. An orthopedic surgeon performed a routine surgery to place two metal plates onto Ms. Witter's bone and sent her on her way, according to NPR.
The orthopedic surgeon noted the surgery's success in the operation notes; however, a few months later Ms. Witter returned to the hospital with a broke plate. Ms. Witter underwent a revision surgery, with the hospital noting it was nothing Ms. Witter did that broke the plate.
Rutland Regional Medical Center charged Ms. Witter $99,159 for emergency services, therapy and hospital care, including $52,587 for the first surgery and $43,208 for the revision surgery. Aetna, who is not in-network with the hospital, paid $76,783, leaving Ms. Witter to pay $18,442. Of the amount Ms. Witter was required to pay, $7,808 went toward the revision surgery, according to NPR.
Ms. Witter's bill was mostly made up of co-payments, and $7,410 was attributed to what Aetna considered "unreasonably high" charges. Rutland Regional Medical Center used Johnson and Johnson subsidiary DePuy Synthes' plates.
While some hospitals and health systems negotiate warranty deals, Rutland Regional Medical Center and DePuy Synthes do not cover failed implants and are reluctant to take fault.
AdvaMed, a medical device trade group, said, "There are numerous factors outside of a manufacturer's control — and unrelated to the safety of the device as designed — that could result in a device not performing as intended," according to NPR.
Ms. Witter was charged $9,706 for the first set of plates and another $12,860 for the replacement, which required an additional device. Aetna is negotiating with the hospital to get the charges down, and Rutland Regional Medical Center welcomed Ms. Witter to meet with the surgeon and CFO to discuss the charges.
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